Tuesday, March 27, 2007

The Amazing Airport Debacle

Yes, I know it's Tuesday, not Monday and so I really should have talked about this week's Amazing Race yesterday, but oh well....you get it one day later.

This week's episode was titled We are Going to Trade you for Food Now which was just one of several jokes made by [my favorites] Ozzy & Danny that Mirna didn't get at all. I swear, for a lawyer, she isn't very with it sometimes.

We start where we left off last week in Mozambique and the first clue tells our teams to "Go directly to the airport, do not pass go, do not collect $200 dollars (but here's your money)." The teams have to fly to Tanzania (which turns out to be the most challenging part of this leg of the race). Mirna & Charla leave first this week and have decided they are "Too Hot to Handle" (really, they had matching shirts with that on it--yeah, I know). The BQ's leave next ahead of Teri & Ian in their funky awful hats which they wore through the entire leg (special people, those) as they implemented their strategy of Stop, Look, & Listen (a close cousin to Stop, Drop & Roll).

Ugly Hats

Ozzy & Danny decided they might have careers as hand models after the race is over and if that doesn't pan out, Ozzy can sub for Tim Gunn on Project Runway since he did a wonderful Tim Gunn impression in the cab on the way to the airport when he found out their diver's name was Andre (either that, or he did a great impression of Santino doing a Tim Gunn impression). That was, hands down, one of the best moments ever (right next to Ozzy & Danny chasing Phil at the Pitstop last week).

Danielle (of the boobs) informs us that she is not letting Eric take charge and make all the decisions because they are team and teams don't work that way. My response: Really? Because so far your purpose on this race is limited to carrying an extra bag and giving Eric something to talk about. But good for you if you are finally going to do something.

Charla/Mirna make it to the airport first thanks, I'm sure, to their wonderful accents as they were directing their cabbie to the airport. I don't get how they can have almost no accent when they are talking to normal people but if they are talking to someone who's first language isn't English, they have the most bizarre accents. They accents may have gotten them to the airport first, but it didn't do them much good since it was the middle of the night and everyone had to wait until morning before they could do anything. You gotta love that beginning of the leg bunching (although this would be the last bit of bunching on this leg).

Once everyone is collected at the airport, we spend the next 20 minutes watching the teams jockey for seats. Charla/Mirna manage to find an early flight to Johannesburg that will connect to Tanzania (although they will have to be on standby for the connecting flight). Everyone else is left sitting at the airport waiting on seats to open up on the only direct flight. None do, so we have more scrabbling. Now, everyone wants to fly to Jo'burg, but we have to wait for the ticket counter to open--or do we? The Guidos and Teri/Ian decide to wait in line, but everyone else goes up to the airline office and gets the agent there to book the tickets to Johannesburg as well as put them on the standby list for the connecting flight. Everyone gets tickets to Jo'burg, but only the first three teams (BQ's, Uchenna/Joyce, Ozzy/Danny) make the connecting flight. The Boobs got on the plane, but then got pulled off because they had been given someone else's tickets, so they were left in Jo'burg with the Guidos and Teri/Ian. Eric was calm and managed to get their names on a Priority Standby list for the next flight out (the next morning) while Danielle helped out by crying hysterically (way to take charge, babe). In the end, only the Boobs get on the early flight out of Jo'burg while the other two teams have to wait another couple of hours.

Now that all the teams are finally out of airports, not much else went on. We sailed on some boats (where Charla lost her breakfast). The Detour was pretty lame (Solve it or Schlep it) and most teams picked solving the fish puzzle. The Roadblock was kind of cool--the best part being Phil's description with his trademark eyebrow lift--where Uchenna got to "jump with the Maasai". Charla/Mirna came in first (although I'm not sure either of them appreciated their prize--a Catamaran--since they didn't seem to have any idea what that was until Phil explained it to them), Ozzy/Danny second, Uchenna/Joyce third (even after their 30min penalty), the BQ's fourth, the Boob's Fifth, Guidos sixth, and Teri/Ian came in last and were Philiminated.

What we learned this week: Always take the first flight to Jo'burg you can get. Charla gets seasick. Ozzy & Danny may not be a help in an avalanche, but they do know some first aid "beauty tips." Stupid looking hats won't help you get on a plane.

Best line of the week: Ozzy's Impression of Tim Gunn "Andre, where are you Andre."

Supernatural shout out?: Charla/Mirna were helped onto their connecting flight in Jo'burg by a well meaning airport worker they hijacked named, of all things, Christo. I guess there is not way he could be possessed, huh?